David Rothenstein

I serve as a trusted and experienced business advisor to boards of directors, CEOs and senior management, currently as chief strategy officer and previously as general counsel of a global, publicly-traded company in the telecommunications industry. My broad-based roles on Ciena’s executive leadership team have enabled me to develop a deep understanding of the telecom industry and our business and to play a critical role in Ciena’s success for more than two decades, including the design and implementation of many of the company’s transformative growth opportunities. In addition to ensuring that my teams achieve subject matter expertise in their chosen fields, I seek to develop and empower them as strategic business partners: individuals who are willing and able to collaborate internally and externally to analyze trends and dynamics, develop actionable insights, build consensus, solve problems, facilitate decision-making, and communicate effectively. I'm also focused on exploring and leveraging the "intangibles" of individuals – leadership qualities, emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, creativity and authenticity – that can mean the difference between good and great.